Kyla Roy signs with Arizona State University

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Kyla Roy signs with Arizona State University
Triathlete Kyla Roy will join Arizona State for their second season as a Division I varsity program.

Manitoba triathlete Kyla Roy has emerged as one of Canada’s top junior triathletes and has decided to move up to the next level. Today, Kyla signed a contract with Arizona State University, whose triathlon program she will join in its second season ever.

“Kyla is the first Canadian to be joining an NCAA Division I school for triathlon. It’s an exciting opportunity, and I think she’ll go on to do great things in the future,” said Manitoba triathlon head coach Gary Pallett.

Until a year and a half ago, triathlon scholarships hadn’t existed at NCAA schools. Since the addition of triathlon to the Olympic programme in 2000, the only triathletes attending college or university on scholarships have done so by competing where there’s money; most often in track or swimming.

In the last two years, more and more schools have been adopting women’s triathlon as a varsity sport. Arizona State University (ASU) is now one of two NCAA Division I triathlon programs in the country, and have just ended their first season. Currently flagged as an “emerging” sport, women’s triathlon is still in its early stages – and it’s gaining traction fast.

During her visit to the ASU campus, Kyla was excited by what she saw. The Manitoban triathlete has topped Canadian rankings at the junior level for the last two years, and is eager to join Arizona State’s program in the fall.

“Kyla is a great person and tremendous athlete that I believe has a lot of potential,” commented ASU coach Cliff English.

“Going into our second year of existence as a program we strive to grow and to raise the bar for our program and the sport. With strong athletes like Kyla joining for the fall 2017 term we believe the ASU program will continue to move forward towards our goal of being a program that can develop future national champions, world champions and Olympians.”

Formerly a competitive swimmer, Kyla made the switch to competitive triathlon four years ago. Since then, she’s seen great success in both triathlon and academics. Throughout high school, Kyla attended Vincent Massey Collegiate as part of the Vincent Massey Sports & Arts Program. Initially working with CSCM as part of the Manitoba Triathlon Centre’s training group, Kyla is now working one-on-one with our experts to ensure she’ll be physically and mentally ready for the challenge Division I competition will bring.

Before she heads southward, Kyla will wear provincial colours at the 2017 Canada Games, and will focus her efforts on qualifying for the Junior World Championships in September.

“It has been a privilege working with Kyla over the past several years. As with many high performance athletes, Kyla also showed up ready to work hard and push her limits,” said CSCM’s Adrienne Leslie-Toogood.

“We know how excited she is to become an NCAA student athlete, and we wish her all the best on the next step in her exceptional career.”

DID YOU KNOW?
CSCM has been providing service to the Manitoba National Triathlon Centre’s high performance training group since 2005.